This invention relates to the field of lasers and particularly to a heterostructure semiconductor laser.
There are many different types of semiconductor lasers that can provide an optical output beam. These include injection lasers, crowding effect lasers, stripe-geometry lasers, heterostructure lasers, and others. Of these types, the heterostructure laser based upon confining layers of different compounds, such as GaAs and AlGaAs, shows particular promise.
There are many promising applications for semiconductor lasers, particularly in optical fiber communications and in integrated optoelectronics. These applications require lasers which have a low threshold voltage, a circular far field pattern, and which are fast, efficient, reliable, and longevous. Additionally, the laser should be producible using manufacturing methods which are compatible with other devices in the circuit and which can economically provide reproducible results.